Does anyone know the best way to get from the Mt. Wilson Toll Road up to Mt. Yale (the prominent high point on the ridge below Mt. Harvard)? From the topo map it seems the easiest way might be to start where the the ridge meets the Toll Road south of the peak (there is a water storage tank just north of the road at this point). Can anyone confirm this as the best way to go up, or are there other shorter routes?
I've read that there are remnants of a plane that crashed on the west side of the ridge near Yale. Also read that it is quite a bushwhack to find it but I'm hoping there is no bushwhacking necessary to reach the peak. Any info would be appreciated, as it would make quite a nice hike up from Bailey Canyon, bagging Jones and Hastings Peaks along the way.
Use trail to Mt. Yale question
I have hike past Yale and checked it out on Topozone.
http://www.topozone.com/map.asp?lat=34. ... ize=m&s=24
If the ridge from the south is too steep/bushy, it might be better to try from the North. It is not as steep and closer, but you have to hike further along the toll road. Next time I am up there I will check it out and look for the wreckage.
Here is my GPS track up Baily Canyon including Jones peak. You can see a lot my checking the route out in Google Earth.
http://www.gpsmountaineering.com/MountW ... yCanon.kmz
http://www.topozone.com/map.asp?lat=34. ... ize=m&s=24
If the ridge from the south is too steep/bushy, it might be better to try from the North. It is not as steep and closer, but you have to hike further along the toll road. Next time I am up there I will check it out and look for the wreckage.
Here is my GPS track up Baily Canyon including Jones peak. You can see a lot my checking the route out in Google Earth.
http://www.gpsmountaineering.com/MountW ... yCanon.kmz
I'm thinking of going up there this weekend if the temps are forecasted to be reasonable (say 85 or lower). Bailey Canyon TH is a couple of minutes from where I live so I am very familiar with the trail up to the toll road and I usually start at first hint of light.
The south (actually more SW-W) ridge definitely is the longer route, but I've never been able to see an easy way up from the road to the ridge to the north, although it looks like it might be a very very short but steep scramble on the maps and google earth. Google earth makes it look very possible to go up the short E-SE ridge from the turn in the road. Your gps track is alot closer to the north ridge than the road according to google earth...not unusual for google earth.
Thanks for the info, I'll let you know what I find out too.
The south (actually more SW-W) ridge definitely is the longer route, but I've never been able to see an easy way up from the road to the ridge to the north, although it looks like it might be a very very short but steep scramble on the maps and google earth. Google earth makes it look very possible to go up the short E-SE ridge from the turn in the road. Your gps track is alot closer to the north ridge than the road according to google earth...not unusual for google earth.
Thanks for the info, I'll let you know what I find out too.
I think I've answered my own question 
I found information on the plane crash. He describes going up the south ridge past the water tank but mentions that on the way down he "took a short cut by dropping down to the road from a low saddle". I'm guessing the low saddle he is talking about is the one shown here with the red + sign. He thinks it would be a better way up than going by the water tank.
I found information on the plane crash. He describes going up the south ridge past the water tank but mentions that on the way down he "took a short cut by dropping down to the road from a low saddle". I'm guessing the low saddle he is talking about is the one shown here with the red + sign. He thinks it would be a better way up than going by the water tank.
I've done it picking up the ridge just off the toll road (that is, coming from Bailey Canyon). For a description of that route and another route option, see my page for Mt. Yale on SummitPost. http://www.summitpost.org/mountain/rock ... -Yale.htmlHikeUp wrote:I'm thinking of going up there this weekend if the temps are forecasted to be reasonable (say 85 or lower). Bailey Canyon TH is a couple of minutes from where I live so I am very familiar with the trail up to the toll road and I usually start at first hint of light.
The south (actually more SW-W) ridge definitely is the longer route, but I've never been able to see an easy way up from the road to the ridge to the north, although it looks like it might be a very very short but steep scramble on the maps and google earth. Google earth makes it look very possible to go up the short E-SE ridge from the turn in the road. Your gps track is alot closer to the north ridge than the road according to google earth...not unusual for google earth.
If you return the same way, take care to find the identical location where you left the toll road because there are some places in that vicinity where the drop to the toll road is vertical. I didn't know about the plane remains so never looked for them when I went (and didn't see any).
Thanks Augie. I found your summitpost page earlier today and I believe where you describe to pick up the ridge is the same as the "low saddle" described on the page I linked to above.
Weather looks good for a nice cool hike in the front range this Saturday, so it looks like I'll be heading that way.
Weather looks good for a nice cool hike in the front range this Saturday, so it looks like I'll be heading that way.